Five Santa Barbara County students will attend the 2013 State Student Technology Showcase on March 16, in Palm Springs.

Sixth grade students Mateo Del Solar, Keira Doolittle, Grace Callahan, Jordan Hall, and Alexandria Donohue will be accompanied by teacher Chadd Rosenberg, from Los Olivos Elementary School in the Los Olivos School District. The students will present a project called Ancient History Today Newscasts. The content focus is Social Studies: Ancient Civilizations.

The annual showcase is a joint effort of the California Department of Education (CDE), the California Technology Assistance Project (CTAP), and Computer-Using Educators (CUE). CTAP is coordinated locally by Steve Hillery, through the Santa Barbara County Education Office.

Students will act like investigative journalists to seek out top stories for their newscast. They will treat the ancient civilizations as if Roman, Egyptian, and Chinese empires were happening today. Each student will produce, shoot, edit, write/investigate, and broadcast one story in rotation so five segments can be combined into one newscast. Each student will get the opportunity to experience each job. Technology makes history come alive.

The State Student Technology Showcase offers innovative ideas on how integrating technology into the curriculum can improve student learning and engagement.

The website for the Student Showcase, includes short videos about all the projects, and can be searched by subject, grade level, or type of technology used.